The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical SketchHensel, W. U. (William Uhler)
History
The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical Sketch
Hensel, W. U. (William Uhler)
Christiana (Pa.) -- History; Riots -- Pennsylvania -- Christiana
Kline then went back to Hanway and Lewis. Gorsuch made a signal to his
men, and they all fell into line. I followed his example as well as I
could; but as we were not more than ten paces apart, it was difficult
to do so. At this time we numbered but ten, while there were between
thirty and forty of the white men.
While I was talking to Gorsuch, his son said, “Father, will you take
all this from a nigger?”
I answered him by saying that I respected old age; but that, if he
would repeat that, I should knock his teeth down his throat. At this he
fired upon me, and I ran up to him and knocked the pistol out of his
hand, when he let the other one fall and ran in the field.
My brother-in-law, who was standing near, then said, “I can stop
him”--and with his double-barrel gun he fired.
Young Gorsuch fell, but rose and ran on again. Pinckney fired a second
time and again Gorsuch fell, but was soon up again and, running into
the cornfield, lay down in the fence corner.
I returned to my men, and found Samuel Thompson talking to old Mr.
Gorsuch, his master. They were both angry.
“Old man, you had better go home to Maryland,” said Samuel.
“You had better give up, and come home with me,” said the old man.
Thompson took Pinckney’s gun from him, struck Gorsuch, and brought him
to his knees. Gorsuch rose and signalled to his men. Thompson then
knocked him down again, and he again rose. At this time all the white
men opened fire, and we rushed upon them; when they turned, threw down
their guns and ran away. We, being closely engaged, clubbed our rifles.
We were too closely pressed to fire, but we found a good deal could be
done with empty guns.
Old Mr. Gorsuch was the bravest of his party; he held on to his pistols
until the last, while all the others threw away their weapons. I saw
as many as three at a time fighting with him. Sometimes he was on his
knees, then on his back, and again his feet would be where his head
should be. He was a fine soldier and a brave man. Whenever he saw the
least opportunity, he would take aim. While in close quarters with the
whites, we could load and fire but two or three times. Our guns got
bent and out of order. So damaged did they become, that we could shoot
with but two or three of them. Samuel Thompson bent his gun on old Mr.
Gorsuch so badly, that it was of no use to us.
When the white men ran, they scattered. I ran after Nathan Nelson, but
could not catch him. I never saw a man run faster. Returning, I saw
Joshua Gorsuch coming, and Pinckney behind him. I reminded him that
he would like “to take hold of a nigger,” told him that now was his
“chance,” and struck him a blow on the side of the head, which stopped
him. Pinckney came up behind, and gave him a blow which brought him to
the ground; as the others passed, they gave him a kick or jumped upon
him, until the blood oozed out at his ears.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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